Scott Heidepriem | |
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Member of the South Dakota Senate from the 13th district |
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In office January 2007 – January 2011 |
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Preceded by | Mary McClure |
Succeeded by | Phyllis Heineman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Miller, South Dakota, U.S. |
June 25, 1956
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Susan |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater |
University of South Dakota Harvard University |
Scott Heidepriem (born June 25, 1956) is a Sioux Falls, South Dakota lawyer and politician, and a former Democratic member of the South Dakota Senate, representing the 13th district from 2007 to 2010. He was the 2010 Democratic nominee for Governor of South Dakota.
After high school Heidepriem attended the University of South Dakota where he obtained his bachelors. He graduated in 1978 with Phi Beta Kappa honors. During his undergraduate career, he was elected Student Body President. Heidepriem also received his Juris Doctorate (JD) degree in 1980 and a Master’s degree in history in 1983 from the University of South Dakota. He also attended John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Heidepriem has been married for 24 years to Susan, and they have two children.
Heidepriem 's legal career as a civil litigator began in Miller, South Dakota. In 1992, Scott and his family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he co-founded the Johnson, Heidepriem law firm. In January 2015, Scott resigned and co-founded Heidpriem, Purtell & Siegel law firm. Heidepriem was a past president of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers.
In 1986, Heidepriem ran for the Republican nomination for the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota's At-large congressional district, but he lost to Dale Bell. In 2006, Scott Heidepriem was elected to the South Dakota State Senate in a Sioux Falls-based district as a Democrat, defeating two-term incumbent Republican Senator Dick Kelly by a thin 857-vote margin. Upon being sworn in, Heidepriem was unanimously elected by the Democratic caucus as the Minority Leader of the Senate. Heidepriem was narrowly re-elected to his second and final term in 2008 against State Representative Phyllis Heineman. Scott served in the South Dakota legislature for 12 years, being chosen as Speaker of the House, Pro Tempore, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Minority Leader for four years. Heidepriem was chosen the Democratic Party's nominee for Governor of South Dakota in 2010.